1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for processing video and/or audio signals and for displaying images and producing sounds based on the processed video and/or audio signals.
2. Related Art
Audio and video signals are generated from a plurality of sources during many events. An “event” is any occurrence viewed by a spectator. For example, at a football game or other type of sporting event, television crews usually position cameras and microphones at various locations in the stadium. As used herein, “stadium” shall be defined to mean any non-movable structure having a large number (i.e., thousands) of seats, wherein an event occurs at (i.e., within a close proximity of) the seats such that spectators sitting in the seats can view and hear the event. These crews generate audio and video signals defining views and sounds of the football game from various perspectives.
One of the video signals and one of the audio signals are usually selected at a television station to form a combined audio/video signal. This signal is then modulated and transmitted so that users having a television can receive the signal via the television. The television demodulates the combined signal and displays an image defined by the video signal on a display screen and reproduces the sounds defined by the audio signal via speakers. Therefore, the sights and sounds of the game can be viewed and heard via the television.
However, spectators viewing and/or hearing the sights and sounds of the game via televisions are not usually given the opportunity to select which video and/or audio signals are modulated and transmitted to the television. Therefore, the spectator is only able to receive the signals modulated and transmitted to the television, even though the spectator may prefer to receive the other signals that are generated at the game.
Spectators who actually attend the sporting event are usually given more options to view and/or hear the sights and sounds of the sporting event from different perspectives. In this regard, one or more monitors are sometimes located at one or more locations in the stadium. Each monitor within the stadium receives one of the aforementioned video signals and displays an image defined by the received video signal to many of the spectators. However, the monitor does not always display a desirable perspective with respect to each spectator in the stadium, and the monitor is often not located in a convenient location for many of the spectators. In this regard, many of the spectators often must leave their seats (or other locations) in the stadium and go to a location where the spectators, along with other spectators, can view the monitor displaying the desired perspective. The spectators viewing the monitor often do not have control over which image is displayed by the monitor.
Thus a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry for providing a system and method that enables a spectator to conveniently view an event from different perspectives.